Homemade Caramel Corn

Homemade Caramel Corn with nuts

I was attending Movie Night at a friend's house and thought I'd make a special treat.  This caramel corn was a big hit!!!

The good news is that it's also super easy!  Here's the recipe:

Homemade Caramel Corn (with nuts)

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (that's 1 stick)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz of your favorite nuts (optional)

1/2 cup of  unpopped popcorn
3 Tablespoons of oil (to pop the popcorn)
cooking spray or silpat or parchment paper

Large pot
cookie sheet

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  I use my wok to make this treat but any large pot will do.

Pop the popcorn

Add the 2 tablespoons of oil and unpopped popcorn to a pan.  Pop the corn, remove any unpopped kernels and place the popcorn on a cookie sheet.

Keep the popcorn warm in the oven.

Place the popcorn in the oven to keep it warm while you make the caramel.

Start the Caramel 

Wipe out the pan you used to make the popcorn and use it to make the caramel.  Combine butter, brown sugar, salt and syrup.  Heat over medium heat.

Simmer stir the caramel

Simmer and stir the mixture for about 5 minutes.  Then remove it from heat.

Remove the caramel from the heat and add baking soda

Add the vanilla and baking soda.  The baking soda will cause the caramel to bubble up and turn a lighter shade of brown.

The baking soda causes the caramel
to change colors and bubble

Stir the mixture until the bubbles have subsided.

Add nuts if you like

Stir in the nuts (optional).  Eight oz. of nuts creates a lightly nutty caramel corn.  If you like lots of nuts add 16 oz or more.

Nutty Caramel

Return the popcorn to the pan and gently combine.

Toss the popcorn with the caramel

The product WILL stick to a cookie sheet.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or use a silpat (non stick baking mat) or line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Time to go back in the oven!

Bake the caramel corn at 250 degrees for 45 minutes.

Cool completely or you'll burn your lips!

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool COMPLETELY!

Break the cooled caramel corn into chunks or pieces and enjoy!

Popcorn Bar!

PRO TIPS:

Add a little zip to your caramel corn with finishing salts.

Add finishing Salt for added zip!

Sprinkle the freshly baked caramel corn with the finishing salt of your choice.  I like Thai Ginger Salt!

My husband likes it when I make this treat with seasoned nuts.  He prefers Sea Salt and Pepper Nuts.

Seasoned Nuts are great in caramel corn!

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Homemade Pop Tarts

Homemade PopTarts

Homemade PopTarts are just about the easiest snack in the world to make for kids (and adults).  I've made them on this blog before.  

The kids and I made them again this weekend and I changed up my recipe just a bit.

Homemade Pop Tarts
(makes approximately 16)

For this recipe you will need:
2 - Refrigerator pie crusts (I use the ones in the box, but homemade is fine too)
2-3 Tablespoons melted butter
Your favorite Jelly or Jam
1 egg (optional)
granulated sugar (optional) 

Rolling Pin
Pastry brush
fork 

Allow the crust to sit outside the refrigerator for a few minutes.
Room temperature dough is less likely to crack.

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Unroll 1 pie crust.  Use the rolling pin to flatten and thin out the crust.  Roll it to approx 1/4" thickness.  Be careful not to roll the crust too thin.

I prefer to use a store bought refrigerated pie crust, but you can certainly use home made.

Store bought crust works GREAT for this recipe.

I cover my cutting board in plastic for this recipe.  The dough is less likely to stick to the plastic covered board.  

Add a thick layer of jam

Add a thick layer of jam to the dough.  The jam should be in the shape of your poptarts.

Fold the dough in half and cut out the tarts

Fold the dough in half and cut out the tarts.

Use a fork to crimp the edges of the tart

Use a fork to crimp the edges of the dough and transfer the tarts to a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Make a few vent holes in the top of the tarts.

In a bowl, combine the egg with 1 Tablespoon of water to create an egg wash.

Egg Wash makes the tarts nice and brown

Brush the tarts with egg wash.

Brush the top of the tarts with egg wash

Special Note:  You can brush the tarts with either egg wash or melted butter.  The egg wash makes them nice and brown.  The butter gives a richer flavor.  If you prefer you can skip the egg wash AND the butter and just leave them plain.

Lightly sprinkle the tarts with sugar.

A little sugar for extra sweetness

Bake in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown.

Bake until lightly brown

COOL COMPLETELY!!!!

The jam in these tarts hold a LOT of heat and can easily burn your mouth.  Please allow them to cool thoroughly before you attempt to eat them.

Enjoy!

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Dessert - Brownie Ice Cream sandwiches

Brownie Ice Cream sandwiches

Mix up you favorite brownie recipe.  Instead of banking them in a pan, make the in the waffle iron!

Allow the Brownie waffle to cool completely.

I used a biscuit cutter to make my finished product perfectly round.  This step is completely optional.

Next, sandwich semi soft ice cream between waffles.

That's it!!!

Alternatives:

my kids love the waffles warm and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

I cant have lactose, so I use non-dairy whipped topping in place of ice cream.

Enjoy!!!

Drinks - Shake Up your coffee routine

I love an iced coffee most summer mornings!  I have neither time or inclination to fight the long lines at Starbucks first thing in the morning.  A few years ago I started shaking my own coffee and i've never looked back!

Here's what you'll need:

Instant coffee of your choice
sweetner (I like Equal)
milk (I prefer evaporated skim)
cocktail shaker
water and ice
chocolate syrup (optional)

To the cocktail shaker add 1 rounded tablespoon of instant coffee, sweetner, milk, ice and water.

Shake, shake, shake.  Then pour!

The cocktail shaker will strain out all the foam and just give you coffee.  If you like the foam, you can add that too!

This method allows you to quickly make the cup of iced coffee that perfect for you!

Add in chocolate syrup, cinnamon and any extras you like!

Baking - Making Swirl Bread

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Basic Swirl Bread (1 loaf)


2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup uncooked plain oatmeal
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon oil
1 envelope of yeast
1 1/8 cup warm (NOT HOT) milk (room temp milk is fine)

Swirl: 1 Tablespoon melted butter, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, 1/8 cup sugar

Make the sponge by combining 1 cup flour, oats, sugar, salt oil, yeast and milk in a large bowl. Mix well. This mixture is called the sponge.

Sponge

Stir in remaining 1 ½ cups of flour.

Dough

Cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise in a warm draft free place. I usually just leave it on my counter top. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size (about 1 hour).

Risen dough

Once the risen dough, grease 1 loaf pan and set it aside.

Turn dough onto a floured board or counter.

Turning risen dough out to knead

Knead the dough about 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

Kneading dough

Done kneading

Using a well floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is a ½ inch thick rectangle.

Ready for the swirl

Add the swirl:

Spread melted butter over dough rectangle. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle evenly over melted butter.

Butter, cinnamon and sugar added

Starting at the long end of the dough, to roll it as tightly as you can.

Roll the dough tightly

The roll is too long for the pan. 

Tuck the ends under so that the loaf will fit snugly into the loaf pan.

Tuck the long ends under the dough

Now the dough fits in the pan

Waiting to rise

Cover and set aside to rise. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size. (About 1 hour)

1 hour later, the bread has risen

Once dough has doubled in size, bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Fresh from the oven!

Remove from pan immediately. Set on a cooling rack.

Once cooled, slice and eat!



Variations:

For plain white bread: Don’t add the swirl (butter, cinnamon or sugar)

For pesto swirl bread: Use fresh or store bough pesto instead of cinnamon and sugar

For Garlic bread: Add 1 Tablespoon of garlic powder to sponge

For Wheat Bread: Make the sponge using 1 cup of wheat flour and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. Once the sponge is mixed, add 1 ½ cup all purpose flour.

For Honey Oat Bread: Substitute honey for sugar in the dough.

For raisin bread: add ½ cup of raisins to sponge.

Special notes:

- If your milk is too hot it will kill the yeast and your bread won’t rise. Use room temp or slight warm milk for best results

- If you add oatmeal to the dough it will be a little wetter than usual. Don’t panic. That’s normal. Use a little extra flour when kneading and rolling.

- Be patient! As long as you didn’t kill the yeast, your bread should rise. It usually takes an hour or so.

- Don’t let the dough sit all day to rise. If you forget about it for a long time (4-5 hours) then come back, your bread will have risen and then fallen.

Dessert - Homemade DQ Blizzard Machine Refills and that thing with Snoopy

Ice cream mix for the Dairy Queen Blizzard Maker


3/4 c. 1/2 and 1/2
2 tablespoons of sugar (or 1 Tablespoon of splenda)
1/2 t. vanilla
dash of salt

Follow directions on the Blizzard maker for making soft serve ice cream

A few Christmas's ago there was an ugly incident with a snoopy snow cone maker (more on that later). So when the dq blizzard machine showed up under the tree (a gift for the kids from my sister) I vowed to stay far away. The first few days of blizzard making went just fine and the kids had a good time. This afternoon I returned to Walmart to buy more of the little packets of ice cream mix and Walmart was all out.
Normally this would not be a big deal. But I am the mother of 3 young sons. I have sent the better part of the last week cooped up in a house full of visiting relatives, Christmas toys, dirty dishes and too many people asking me too many questions - often all at the same time. I promised the kids that if they would quit fighting over bay blades they could have ice cream.  Now the damned Walmart was out of mix and I was this close to a nervous breakdown.

"Don't worry" i told the boys "mommy knows how to make blizzards!" In my dream scenario this is where they cheer and declare me the best mommy ever. In real life they gave me the side eye and mumbled something out "wanting real blizzards and the fire bey blade."

Back at home I sent them out of the kitchen and threw open the cabinets. "No, sweet heart, you cannot help. Please go play." Mommy needed a moment to figure out a recipe and possibly pop a zanax.

I assembled the blizzard machine and began making ice cream. Turns out I had the machine put together incorrectly and all of the mix ran out onto the counter. On my second try I got it right and had yummy ice cream in about 5 minutes.

This time they did cheer and declared me the best mommy ever! [fade out on me wearing a crown and sash as I wave to the crowd]

In other mommy adventures:

The Snoopy Snow cone debacle

The holidays are always a stressful time in our house. There's just too much everything. Too much food, too many people, dirty dishes and way too much noise.  I do best with a schedule and some kind of order. Holiday time in our home is the extreme opposite of that. The stress sometimes leads to odd behavior on my part (don't judge me).

So a few years ago Santa brought the kids a snoopy snow cone maker for Christmas. I make the syrup on the stove (sugar, water and 1 kool aid packet) and let it cool. Once cooled i poured it into the the little syrup dispenser.

Next we gathered ice cubes and began grinding them according to package directions. Before too long the kids were enjoying yummy snow cones.

I too tried a snow cone and found them to be delicious. I finished my first thimble sized snow cone and wanted another.

Maybe it was the icey deliciousness, maybe it was the stress of the holidays but for some reason I could not get enough of these tiny snow cones. Later, after the kids went to bed I found myself up in the middle of the night grinding ice cubes like a fiend and eating snow cones by the vat.

By morning the handle was broken off the snow cones maker, the syrup was gone and there I stood with a red mustache and all lying to the kids: "no kids, I have NO IDEA what happened to Snoopy...red tongue, my tongue is always red, what are you walking about, it wasn't me!" There was no 2 ways about it my I had been caught red mouthed having devoured the kids goodies and broken the children's new Christmas toy. The shame of it all.

But mommy's are magic.  Later that day we marched right down to target and got an electric ice shaver and a dozen kool aid packets. Voila-all better.

We still eat too many icees, they are just so delicious. Only now its guilt free. they younger kids are too young to remember the unfortunate icee incident and the older kids have forgotten (I hope).

Icee Syrup

1 packet of unsweetened powdered drink mix and flavor (I like kool-aid tropical punch)
1/2 c. water
1 c. sugar

Mix everything over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar is melted and water just begins to boil.

Remove from heat and cool.

Spoon or pour over shaved ice.

Baking - Honey Oat Pizza Crust

I've made it my life's work to sneak in whole grains to my family's diet.  Sometimes I'm successful, sometimes not.

Last night I found yet another new way to slip in some grains.  They never noticed the difference and the result was DELICIOUS!

I changed up an old recipe and made:

Homemade Pizza with Honey Oat Crust




Preheat oven to 400 degrees with your pizza pans inside.

Honey Oat Pizza Crust

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 c. quick cook oats
1 Tablespoon (1 envelope) quick rise dry yeast
1 teaspoons salt
1 c. warm (not hot) water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey

In a large bowl I mixed the flour, oats, salt and yeast. In large cup I mixed the warm water, oil, honey.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour in the water mixture. Slowly combine the wet with the dry until it all comes together. The mixture will be a little wet and a little lumpy. Set it aside for about 10 minutes to rest.

While the dough rests, make or gather everything else you'll need.
You can always use jar sauce, but here's the recipe I use.

Pizza Sauce

1 6oz. can tomato paste
1 small onion diced
1 small carrot shredded
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Water
salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, fennel seed to taste.

Saute the carrots and onion in the oil until soft. Add tomato paste and water. Use enough water to make the sauce as thick or thin as you like it. Add seasonings to taste.

Making Pizza
Allow the sauce to simmer while you roll out the dough.
On a well floured board, knead the pizza dough until it is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough in 2.
Knead and roll out the first dough ball into a pizza crust. Place the rolled crust onto a lightly oiled warm pizza pan.
Bake until golden brown. Repeat with the second dough ball.

Once the crusts are ready, remove them from the oven. Turn the oven to broil.

I like a crispy crust, so I flip the crust over so that the brown side is down against the pizza pan. Cover the crust with pizza sauce, toppings and the shredded cheese of your choice.

Broil the pizza until golden brown. Remember to watch the broiling pizza VERY CLOSELY. It can burn quickly!

This method of pizza making will give you a pizza with a brick oven taste. A word of caution though - ONLY USE THIN SLICED OR PRE COOKED MEATS ON A BROILED PIZZA. Broiling might not cook meats long enough for them to be safe.
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Cooking tips: When making this crust, measure the oil in the tablespoon before you measure the honey.  The oil will leave the spoon slippery and the honey won't stick to the spoon.  Anytime a recipe calls for both oil and honey, I add the oil first.  That way I don't have to fight with the honey.

Also, if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast and cause it not to rise.  If your crust turns out flat and heavy you might have used water that was too hot.  For this recipe, the warm tap water should not be above 120 degrees.  That's warm though for you to touch without burning your fingers.